Description

ISLINGTON

TQ3183NE UPPER STREET
635-1/59/879 (East side)
29/09/72 No.311
and attached railings
(Formerly Listed as:
UPPER STREET
Congregational Chapel)

GV II

Former Islington Congregational Chapel and school, now a
recording studio. 1888-9 by Bonella and Henry John Paull. Red
brick laid in Flemish bond, with dressings of stone (now
painted), rubbed brick and possibly stucco; clay-tiled roof.
Two main storeys over basement. The front to Upper Street has
a two-storey wing to the north, and then the main, symmetrical
elevation of projecting gabled wing, side wings of one-window
range, and projecting, single-storey porches. In the 'Queen
Anne' style, and showing the influence of Richard Norman
Shaw's Church of St Michael and All Angels, Bedford Park.
North wing has flat-arched entrance with architrave, storey
band, elliptical-arched first-floor window with impost blocks
and apron of scrolled profile, flanking pilasters, coving to
eaves and pyramidal roof. The porches to the main front have
stone segmental-arched entrances with pilasters and cornice,
decorative wrought-iron gates and cresting to south porch. The
projecting gabled part has two elliptical-arched openings to
the basement with recessed windows of a different elliptical
profile; four small round-arched windows above with a
crenellated storey band over; and then, rising through the
main line of the eaves into the gable, a large three-sided
oriel with glazing in the tradition of Sparrowe's House,
Ipswich, and Richard Norman Shaw, except that the glazing here
and elsewhere in the building is of cast-iron, and made by the
St Pancras Iron Work Company. Scrolled consoles mask the slope
of the mansard roof; cornice over the oriel and date panel
'1888' in the apex of the gable. Octagonal lantern on the
gable ridge. The side bays have first-floor segmental-arched
windows with aprons of decorative profile and windows set
almost flush with the wall. The elevation to Gaskin Street has
a seven-window range, the easternmost bay projecting as a
porch with elliptical-arched entrance, pilasters, fanlight and
shell-mould hood with scrolled brackets. The windows reproduce
the sequence of Upper Street: elliptical-arched to basement,
small round-arched above, and segmental-arched to first floor
with aprons of decorative profile and flanked by pilasters.
Coving to eaves; three blank cross-gables in the roof. Stack
towards south-east corner. Area railings with finials in the
style of c.1800.
INTERIOR: : dog-leg staircase towards Upper Street with square
newel posts, some balusters of cast-iron with palmette
ornament, others of turned wood, moulded rail; this staircase
now runs only from the basement, through the raised ground
floor to first-floor level; on the Gaskin Street side, another
staircase of similar design, rising from basement to gallery
level. In the former chapel the apse and the gallery at that
end survive, with cornice to the apse, the organ made by
H.Speechly and Sons in a case in the style of c.1700, the
balustrade and three tiers of seats.
(Historians' file, English Heritage London Division).

Listing NGR: TQ3170783807

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• 311 Upper Street at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q23891200

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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